Scottish Medicines Consortium

What Scottish Medicines Consortium does

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) is the national health technology assessment (HTA) body for Scotland, providing advice to NHSScotland on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of all new medicines. Established in 2001 and headquartered at Delta House, 50 West Nile Street, Glasgow, SMC operates as a statutory committee within Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), a Scottish public authority accountable to the Scottish Government. SMC's core function is to evaluate new medicines through monthly Committee meetings where decisions are made by majority vote, considering submissions from pharmaceutical companies, evidence from over 200 registered patient group partners, and input from clinicians. The Committee's voting membership comprises clinicians, NHS managers, public partners, and ABPI industry representatives, with quorum set at one-third of members.

SMC's service offering spans multiple assessment pathways. The standard New Product Assessment Form (NPAF) follows an approximately 18-week timeline; end-of-life and rare condition medicines are assessed through Patient and Clinician Engagement (PACE) meetings with timelines of 22-26 weeks; medicines for extremely rare conditions (prevalence 1 in 50,000 or less) follow a dedicated ultra-orphan pathway; medicines in the same therapeutic class as existing alternatives are processed via abbreviated submissions; and conditional approvals are available through the interim acceptance decision option. The Patient Access Scheme Assessment Group (PASAG) reviews proposed commercial arrangements for implementation feasibility. SMC is also a full partner in the UK-wide Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP) alongside the MHRA, NICE, NHS, and patient groups.

SMC is a publicly funded body and does not generate commercial revenue. Funding flows from the Scottish Government via Healthcare Improvement Scotland, and SMC provides its advisory outputs at no charge to NHS Scotland territorial health boards, their Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees (ADTCs), pharmaceutical companies submitting medicines, and patient groups providing evidence. Accepted medicines are expected to be incorporated into NHS board formularies, with confidential advice shared four weeks before public publication. Leadership transitioned from Professor Scott Muir to Dr Robert Peel as Chair in April 2026.

Name

Scottish Medicines Consortium

Legal name

Scottish Medicines Consortium

Website

https://scottishmedicines.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) is a publicly funded national health technology assessment body that advises NHSScotland on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of all new medicines, evaluating submissions from pharmaceutical companies and patient groups to inform NHS health board formulary decisions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Technology Assessment

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Trials Authorization & Oversight (GCP) (HLAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

Keywords

• Health technology assessment
• Medicines advisory services
• Clinical effectiveness review
• Cost-effectiveness evaluation
• NHS Scotland guidance

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Public funding (Scottish Government/Healthcare Improvement Scotland): SMC is a Scottish Government-funded body that operates as part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland. As a public advisory body, it does not generate commercial revenue. The SMC secretariat and core functions sit within Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), which is a public authority.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) is the national source of advice on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of all new medicines for NHSScotland. It conducts health technology assessments of newly licensed medicines by evaluating clinical evidence, health economic data, and patient and clinician input, then issues advice to NHS Scotland health boards on whether medicines should be accepted for use. Its remit covers prescription-only medicines (POMs) in Scotland through standard pathways and specialised routes for ultra-orphan, end-of-life, and abbreviated cases.

Product overview

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) is not a product company but a national health technology assessment (HTA) body that provides advisory services to NHSScotland. SMC's service offering consists of multiple assessment pathways and engagement processes: the core Medicines Assessment Advice service evaluates new medicines for clinical and cost-effectiveness; the Patient and Clinician Engagement (PACE) process amplifies patient and clinician voices for end-of-life and rare condition medicines; the Ultra-Orphan Medicines Pathway handles medicines for extremely rare conditions; the Abbreviated Submissions Process expedites assessment for therapeutic class alternatives; and the Interim Acceptance Decision Option allows conditional approval with ongoing evaluation. SMC also participates in the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP), collaborating with MHRA and other HTA bodies. Companies interact with SMC through the New Product Assessment Form (NPAF) and Patient Access Scheme submissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medicines Assessment Advice
• Patient and Clinician Engagement (PACE)
• Ultra-Orphan Medicines Pathway
• Abbreviated Submissions Process
• Interim Acceptance Decision Option
• Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP)
• New Product Assessment Form (NPAF)
• Patient Access Scheme (PAS) Submission

Quantifiable outcome

• Medicines accepted for use in NHSScotland following SMC assessment
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMC secretariat and core functions sit within Healthcare Improvement Scotland. HIS is the parent public authority covering SMC under Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. SMC decisions and operations are aligned with HIS Evidence Directorate policies, including declarations of interest policies.
• NHS Scotland Health BoardscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMC provides advice to all NHS Scotland territorial health boards and their Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees (ADTCs). Health boards receive confidential advice four weeks before public publication and are expected to implement accepted medicines.
• Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILAP is a unique initiative aiming to accelerate time to patient care for transformative medicines. SMC is a full partner alongside MHRA (regulator), NICE (HTA), NHS, and patients. ILAP enables collaborative work from early clinical development through regulatory approval and HTA assessment.
• Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABPI, in partnership with SMC, has developed a toolkit for industry representatives to help with submissions. ABPI members have voting rights on the SMC Committee. ABPI toolkit provides guidance on submission processes.
• Patient Access Scheme Assessment Group (PASAG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPASAG reviews and advises NHSScotland on the feasibility of proposed Patient Access Schemes for implementation. Operates separately from SMC to maintain integrity of the assessment process.
• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMHRA is the UK regulator for medicines. SMC works with MHRA on ILAP pathway and considers medicines with conditional marketing authorisation from MHRA. Companies may submit medicines up to two months before final MHRA approval.
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMC collaborates with NICE on HTAs. From October 2017, NICE Multiple Technology Appraisals (MTAs) are no longer assessed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland for applicability to NHSScotland.
• Patient group partners (200+ registered organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMC works with over 200 registered patient group partners including national charities and local support groups. Patient groups submit evidence about patient and carer experiences to inform committee decisions. Partners include organizations such as Myeloma UK, Blood Cancer UK, Kidney Care UK, and many others covering diverse conditions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Scottish Medicines Consortium